Oblivion said nothing as he stared at Twilight. She was now looking back at him as he debated whether she had actively lost her mind. Sasa was just as silent as she sat beside him having listened to the Unicorn's explanation.
“So we all need to help out Oblivion.” She said to him as she jumped off the dais and came to stand in front of him.
He managed not to ask her about her mental status and instead simply gave a slow nod. “And how do you propose I do that?”
Sasa barked out a laugh and fell to the ground with her paws over her face to allow herself to laugh. “HAHA!! Baby-proofing the world! And she is asking you to do that. You will be alerted to an issue long before she will be!” Sasa shouted to him.
Twilight looked down at the laughing feline and her eyes fell on him. “What did she say? I know she said something.”
He debated on being truthful with her or if lying was the better part of valor in this case. “She is… asking how to ensure that we do not create a larger problem.”
Twilight looked down at the cat. “No, she didn’t, she’s laughing!”
Oblivion reached out, and gave the feline a somewhat gentle kick to the back end, she snuffed her laughter and sat up to look at the mare. Sasa blinked as she snickered in his mind and he managed not to kick her again as Twilight looked expectantly at him. He latched onto something the cat had said and chose to use that to get the mare to stop staring at him.
“She was laughing about how you are trying to baby-proof a country.” He said to her.
“Baby proof?” Twilight asked the cat who nodded in reply. “I am not trying to… Well… Maybe a little bit. It’s just trying to avoid disaster before it happens.”
“Disasters are relative. It might not be as bad as you are convinced it will be.” He countered.
“My future self looked awful. She was in horrible condition and we need to prevent it from happening. She looked like has been through a terrible ordeal.”
“How do you figure?” He asked.
“I just have a feeling that we should be looking for something big to happen soon.” She explained.
Oblivion said nothing as she turned to look as ponies ran in every direction to accomplish things that could cause issues in the future. He managed not to heave a deep sigh and simply shook his head as the purple mare trotted away from him.
Sasa looked around her as bolts and other items were tightened and fixed. “Well the town will be in the best shape it has ever been in after this.”
“Hmm.”
Oblivion walked into town to see Twilight looking even more upset than she had in the last few days. “Twilight.”
She spun to look at him and he saw the cut to her cheek. “Hi.”
“Are you okay?” He asked her.
“We haven’t prevented anything yet. This still happened!” She said as she pointed to the cut on her cheek.
“What about it?” He asked her as he stopped beside her.
“This was on Future Twilight's cheek. We haven’t prevented anything. I was sure that Cerberus coming here was a disaster. But it wasn’t.”
“Cerberus?”
“The three-headed dog that guards the entrance and exit to Tartarus.” She explained and he stared at her for a moment. “I took him back yesterday so no one from that prison escaped.”
“Prison?”
Sasa huffed and leaned her head against his shoulder to allow her to share the information she had about it with him and he nodded. “There ya go.” She said to him.
“Never mind.” He said to her and Twilight nodded absently.
“So we still need to figure out what the disaster is.” Twilight lamented to him.
“Do you want me to fix that?” He asked her, hoping to ground her before she spiraled further.
“Huh? She looked at him and he pointed to her cheek. “Oh no, it’ll heal just fine.”
He shook his head as she moved away from him with a flick of her tail. He looked down at Sasa who shrugged and shook her head.
“I think she’s working herself up over nothing.” She said to him.
“What's new?” He agreed.
“Fair point.” Sasa chuckled in reply.
He said nothing further as he moved into town to get his errands done when a flash of magic went through him and a letter appeared in his magic. Sasa looked at it as he unfurled the scroll and began to read through it.
“Who’s it from?”
“Celestia.”
“What does she need?”
“Apparently something has come up and she needs my opinion.”
“Oh. I hate it when she doesn’t bother to tell us exactly what she needs.” Sasa admitted with a huff.
“We will soon find out. I’ll ask her if we are needed now or if we can put it off till later tonight.”
“Hopefully later. We have this to finish then we can go.” Sasa pointed out.
He sent the scroll back to her and went on walking toward the business district of town. He didn’t receive a reply so he assumed that later was fine and he would join her in an hour or so when he was done.
His magic faded as he stood in the menagerie. He summoned Sasa and she appeared at his side with a loud purr. His hooves were silent as he walked up the steps and into the castle. By this time he knew the way to the throne room by heart and the guards outside of it opened the door on reflex, choosing not to argue with him or the feline with him. At the end of the red carpet, Celestia waited for them and a gentle smile went over her muzzle as they stopped by the bottom of the throne.
“Good evening Witcher.” She greeted.
“Celestia. What can we do for you?” He asked her as Sasa purred.
“I have heard rumors of a new creature that ponies cannot identify. I am not sure what it could be but if I have learned anything it’s to find others who know more than I do and find experts on topics that I myself am uneducated in. So I will ask the only Witcher in Equestria what kind of creature we might be dealing with.” She explained to him as her magic picked up a scroll from a nearby table and it hovered close to him.
Oblivion took the scroll from her and began to read through what it said. He narrowed his eyes for a moment as he began to try to piece together the explanation of what was written on the paper. He looked away from the scroll and his eyes closed for a moment as he pictured what had been described. His eyes opened wide and for a moment he had to reread what had been written.
“Can’t be.” He muttered as he let the scroll lower in his magic.
“Witcher?” Celestia asked as he looked a bit shocked.
“Chosen?” Sasa questioned.
“If this is right then you have a Giant on your hooves.” He said to her. “And not just any giant but an Ice Giant.”
“I have never seen or heard of such things outside of legends and stories,” Celestia said to him. “Have you come across them?”
“Not personally.” He admitted. “A fellow Witcher has and he described the fight to me. So I am aware of how to fight them but have not done it myself.”
She looked nervously at him for a moment before she took the description from him and set it aside. “How often have you seen these monsters?”
“I have never seen one myself as I said. But they are a rare breed and I have only heard of the Wolf School coming across one maybe twice, three times max.”
“How difficult are they to fight?”
“They're easily twenty-five tall so they have the size and some agility on them which makes the fight more than a bit difficult. Are they impossible to fight…? No. The fight is a bit on the longer side but not as difficult as some.”
“Can I enter into a new contract with you to investigate the chance that my ponies have been disturbed by an Ice Giant?” She asked and he nodded. “What would the cost of an Ice Giant be?”
He said nothing for a moment as he considered how an Ice Giant compared to an Ancient Leshen or any of the others that he had fought. He knew that the price of a Leshen was less than a Giant would be. Sasa purred as Celestia waited patiently for him to think it over. He sighed as he settled on a number and his orange eyes fell on the waiting Alicorn.
“Thirty thousand.” He said to her.
“Fifteen if there is no Giant.” She said back to him.
“That’s a bit much for a missed creature.” He admitted to her.
“I know but it seems fair for you to investigate a rather large area and take the time to do so.” She argued gently with him as she gave a quiet sigh and smiled brightly at him. “Ten then.”
He thought about arguing further but chose to fall silent and let Alicorn win this fight. “Very well.”
“Thank you. I want my pony's safe Witcher. I trust that a Giant eats herbs?”
“No.” Oblivion barked a laugh. “They eat anything. They are particularly fond of meat. Especially pony.”
Her eyes went wide as she opened a large map and her magic illuminated where it had been spotted. “I would hope that you would be swift about this?”
“I can be.” He said back to her. “I have this weekend off from my day job so I can do this easily enough. I’ll pull my team from their regular work and have them go with me. I might need them in a way to work the monster.”
“They are yours and are at your disposal.” She agreed. “Please be careful as well.”
“I will.” He assured her and spun on his heel to leave.
Sasa ran to catch up with him as he left the room and headed for the training area, hoping to catch Shining or one of his team in there. He came into the military sector of the castle and found no hint of Shining Armor but a mare did catch his attention. He looked closely at her from afar and he could see the tall horn with pink and purple wings that showed on her sides. He had not heard of a third Alicorn but here she was in front of him. He watched as she suddenly seemed to tremble and she began to look around her for something that seemed to upset her.
“Oh it’s Cadance.” Sasa said to him. “She’s Celestia’s adopted niece.”
“Oh, so you know her.” He replied to Sasa who nodded.
“I have never met her personally but I have seen her a few times when she was in the menagerie.” Sasa explained further. “Her full name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but she goes by Princess Cadance.”
“I see. Why would she be here?”
“I am not sure.” Sasa replied. “But she seems to be looking for somepony.”
He said nothing and decided not to approach her as her eyes fell on him. She stared at him for several seconds as a tremble went through her. She stared at him and he watched as she took a step back from him and her eyes wavered at him before she turned to flee from him. He said nothing to her as she vanished from sight. He watched as she fled and he had to wonder why she had run from him but at the same time he had a task to accomplish and her feelings mattered very little to him.
“That was odd.” Sasa commented and he gave a slight nod. “Normally she is pretty friendly, from what I know of her.”
“Maybe a Witcher is more than she wants to deal with.” He replied as he began to look around the yard for one of his team. “What is she the Princess of?”
“What makes you think she is the Princess of anything?”
He glanced sideways and down at her for a moment before she chuckled.
“Princess of Love.” She replied.
He looked at her for several seconds before he closed his eyes and shook his head before deciding to let that title roll over his back and into the back of his mind. He moved into the training yard and began to look around them to find any trace of his team. A shadow fell over his back and he looked up to see Striker flying in from what he assumed was a patrol through the city. Sasa spotted him and a roar pulled from her to get his attention. Striker yelped along with most of the yard at the sound and he spun to look around him while most had simply frozen in place.
“Oh, hi Sasa.” He said to her once he spotted her bright coat. “Captain!” He called out and saluted.
Oblivion managed not to groan at the title as he motioned for the Pegasus to come to him. “Where are the others?”
“Vantage and Cross should be in the castle sleeping or doing anything except staying out of the sun. Silver is in the castle somewhere, while Soarin should be at the Wonderbolt's training area.” Striker relayed to him. “Should I get them?”
“Yes,” Oblivion said to him. “Point me to Soarin since I am certain that they will not let you pull him from training.”
“Oh, it’s that way through that back door and straight ahead. You’ll see the arena they use right when you leave the hallway.” Striker informed him.
“Meet me there after you get the others and finish packing what you need,” Oblivion said as he made for the arched breezeway to lead him away from the training sector for the guards.
Sasa remained at his side as they approached the inner training ground for the Wonderbolts. His hooves were silent on the grass as he looked up to see several ponies in the air. He scanned them to find that none of them was the pony he was looking for, their spirits were different. He looked out over the grounds and he could see Soarin with a few other ponies as he moved toward them. Sasa rumbled a warning to him as a pony approached him. He recognized her as Spitfire, the lead pony for the team.
“Can we help you?” She asked, her tone defiant.
He said nothing for a moment before he gave a shrill whistle that rang through the air and got the attention of the other ponies in the area. Soarin turned and his eyes fell on the black stallion and he broke into a trot to join him.
“I came for him.” He informed her. “I need him for the weekend.”
“This weekend?” She asked him and he nodded. “But we have a performance, you can’t have him this weekend.”
“As a part of the agreement for having him on my team, he is at my disposal whenever I deem he is needed. I have a monster that I may need him to find and fight. So I need him more than you do.”
She scowled at him and her eyes felon Soarin as he reached them and he saluted the black Unicorn. “Sir?”
“We will be heading out in a few minutes. Celestia has taken a contract with me to search for and if needed destroy a possible monster. So I am calling on you for this.” Oblivion told him and the Pegasus nodded in understanding.
“Yes Sir,” Soarin replied and took to the air.
“Gather what you need for a few days if possible. Meet me back here.”
Soarin saluted from the air and took off in the direction of the city. Spitfire growled under her breath and glared at the Black Unicorn. She stormed away from him as he sighed at how much work acting like a superior took and Sasa chuckled as they waited for them to come back.
“Oblivion!” A voice called out his name from behind them.
Oblivion turned his head to look back as Shining approached him. “Shining?”
“What were you up to earlier?” He questioned.
“Depends on when you’re asking?”
“You were seen by a pony and she seemed pretty upset by it.”
“Oh, you mean the pink Alicorn?”
“Yeah, Princess Cadance,” Shining confirmed.
“I didn’t do anything to her,” Oblivion replied. “She took one look at me and fled.”
“Oh, hi Sasa,” Shining said as Sasa purred loudly. “Okay, so you didn’t say anything to her?”
“No. There were no words exchanged between us.”
“Hmm.”
“Why?”
“She said you ‘creeped her out.” Shining informed him.
“How can I do that without being anywhere near her?”
“It’s just what she said to me. I know you didn’t say anything but I guess you were just close enough for her to get a sense of you.”
“Sense of me?”
“Cadance can sense the feelings and emotions of ponies around her.” Shining explained. “So I am sure she got a sense from you. Did you have anything upsetting on your mind?”
“No. I didn’t…”
“You didn’t have anything for her to feel.” Sasa suddenly interrupted.
Oblivion looked down at the cat who was looking up at him as he gave a slight nod to her. “She has a point.”
“What? What did she say?”
“I do not have the abundance of emotions that typical ponies have. So it’s possible she sensed nothing from me and it upset her.”
“Oh. I forgot. I forgot about the fact that you really don’t have any emotions. That makes sense. That might be why she felt so creeped out.” Shining agreed. “I’ll try to explain to her what you are and see if that helps.”
“Works for me,” Oblivion replied. “She didn’t approach me and instead fled from me so I assumed something had made her nervous and she chose to leave.”
“You’re not wrong.” Shining chuckled. “I’ll talk to her about it.”
Shining hoof bumped him as he turned to leave and a chariot made its way across the skies and landed just in front of the waiting Witcher. Soarin arrived a moment later with his saddlebags across his back.
“Thanks for getting me out of that,” Soarin said to the Elder Witcher with a breath of relief. “I’m all performed out for a while.”
“That bad?” Striker asked as Oblivion and Sasa hopped into the chariot.
“Yeah. She’s been on a tear about perfection lately.” Soarin replied. “Do I fly alongside?”
“You can sit with the Captain if you want to.” Silver replied and pointed to the chariot. “You’re not an elemental so we can carry you.”
“A what?”
“Never mind.” Silver chuckled.
“Think giant monster made of rocks and ice.” Vantage said over his shoulder. “With fists big enough to take your head off your shoulders with one swing.”
“Oh,” Soarin said as he climbed into the chariot with Oblivion and Sasa. “Yeah, can we avoid that kind of thing?”
“We will be going after something much bigger this time around,” Oblivion informed him.
“Oh, goodie.” Silver said to him.
“It might weigh about the same if I am thinking of it right,” Oblivion added.
“Great… I’m thrilled really.” Vantage said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Sasa chuckled as Oblivion pointed out the location they needed on the map and Silver and Striker looked at the map and nodded once they had their bearings. The four guards took off from where they were standing and the chariot pulled easily into the air behind them. Soarin settled back and his wings flicked at his sides and Sasa nuzzled him as she sat between them.
“So what are we after?” Soarin asked after they left Canterlot behind.
“We are looking for an Ice Giant.” He replied.
“A what?” Soarin asked as he looked at the Witcher. “I know you said Giant so it should be easy to spot right?”
“Not always. They find a cave or an area they like and they make a home out of it and only venture out if they need to. They tend to let other creatures do their hunting for them if they can subjugate them. If it has a group of Sirens with it this fight will be difficult but not impossible.”
“Sirens?”
“Their flying serpents that have the upper body of… other creatures depending on the type.” He quickly lied. He was not sure what form their upper body would take in this world and he hoped they were just not in this world.
“Gross,” Soarin said to him. “So how do you fight one of them?”
“Get them on the ground and they're practically defenseless,” Oblivion informed him. “So get in the air and drive them down. Avoid their claws and tails and you’ll be fine. As soon as they hit the ground a silver blade will end the threat.”
“How would one of us kill one?”
“You?” Oblivion asked and looked at the Pegasus for a moment before he let his eyes fall to the other's hooves.
Soarin looked down at his hooves and understanding went through him. “Oh. Hooves to the head and wings.”
“Crushing their skulls is effective. Messy but effective.” Oblivion agreed. “If they are near water avoid the water since they pull you under in an attempt to drown you.”
Soarin looked at him as he listened to the blunt statement. “This just gets better and better.”
Sasa chuckled and nuzzled him once more. “Please tell him that you would save him before that happened.”
“I would not allow it to happen so you do not need to worry about it. Just avoid the edges of the water.” Oblivion said to him.
Soarin nodded and looked ahead to see Vantage and Cross staring aback as they had been listening. Cross especially looked like he was going to be sick as he regarded the Witcher. Silver and Striker did not seem to have overheard what had been said or they were pretending not to have heard. Soarin said nothing and simply sighed as he laid down and kept his head up and looking out ahead of them.
“So an Ice Giant is bigger than the Elemental?” Vantage shouted back.
“Yes. It might outweigh an Ice Giant but not by much.” Oblivion replied to him. “If the Ice Giant were to tangle with an Elemental I am not sure exactly who would win.”
“Yikes.” Vantage said to him as he shook his head. “I have no desire to tangle with either one. I mean I hope we find what you are looking for but I would be okay if it was just a rumor as well.”
“I doubt it’s a rumor but I can see how that would be preferred,” Oblivion said back to him. “The descriptions were fairly clear about the estimated size of the creature.”
“I’m thrilled really.” Vantage said with a hint of trepidation in his voice.
Sasa chuckled and laid down beside the Pegasus as Oblivion said nothing in response to the Thestral. Cross looked to be trying not to whimper as Vantage smiled at him. Soarin chuckled at the look of unhappiness on Cross’s face.
Oblivion opened one eye as the chariot began to descend. He sat up and Sasa rumbled a loud purr as the wheels of the chariot gently came to the ground. Oblivion waited for it to stop moving before he jumped from it and stretched out his body for a moment to alleviate any stiffness. Sasa jumped to land beside him and she yawned as Soarin jumped out of the chariot.
“Now what?” Soarin asked.
“Now? We find the ponies who spotted it first and ask for them to guide or direct us in the right direction. The farmhouse should be a bit behind us.” Oblivion said back to him as he motioned for the guards to follow him, still hitched to the chariot.
They fell in behind him and Soarin brought up the rear as he trained them. He kept an eye on the forest as it loomed beside them and its trees towered over them. Sasa purred brightly beside them as she trotted ahead of them and led the way. Minutes ticked past as they walked along the border of the trees and they came upon a small orchard full of cherry trees. Sasa chirped out noise as she spotted the farmhouse ahead of them and she broke into a short sprint to reach it ahead of them. Soarin and the others watched her suddenly come running back as a pony was now on her heels.
“Help!” Sasa called out.
His horn flared as he summoned her back to his side. The pony that had been chasing her stopped in his tracks as he realized she had vanished in front of his eyes. He looked around him for a moment before he spotted the group of them making their way toward him. He spotted Sasa and he raised his broom once more to come after her. She moved to walk behind the black stallion and keep him in between them.
“I would appreciate you not chasing my companion,” Oblivion said to him as they got close enough for him to not need to shout.
“Companion?” He parroted. “That thing?”
“She is harmless,” Oblivion assured him.
Sasa leaned out from behind him as he came to a stop and stretched her neck to show off the dark collar around her neck. The pony lowered his broom and stared at the collar for several seconds before he nodded at the group of them.
“What can Ah do fer ya?” He asked.
“I was sent to hunt down the monster that you had reported seeing,” Oblivion replied to him.
“Just you?”
“Yes,” Oblivion replied quickly. “I have them as well but they will do very little in terms of hunting the creature.”
The farmer looked uncertain as he looked at the group and then back to Oblivion. “Ya sure, ya don’t need the army of Canterlot?”
“I have been taught how to fight monsters of many types. I assure you I can handle it.”
“If ya say so.” He said though he appeared unconvinced. “Ah’ll show ya where Ah saw it but it’ll be a bit of a trip so Ah’m not sure ya wanna bring that thing wit’ ya.”
“Can we leave it here?” Silver asked him and pointed to the barn. “We can stash it close by the barn out of the way.”
“That’ll work.” The farmer said to him.
Silver and the others pulled the chariot into place and set it beside the barn and pulled their saddlebags from it but a look from Oblivion had them leaving them in place with his. Soarin set his in the chariot with the others and looked back at the Unicorn to lead the way.
“This way folks.” He said and motioned for them to fall in behind him.
“How long ago did you last see it?” Oblivion asked him.
“Bout four days ago. Seems to have a thing fer the cherries. Ah’m losin’ produce on mah trees ta that glutton.” He griped back at them.
“We will see if we can stop that,” Oblivion replied.
“Ah would appreciate it. The back half o’ mah orchard is in danger from that thing. Whatever it is.” He commented. “What is it anyway?”
“From the description, I was given I think it might be an Ice Giant,” Oblivion informed him.
“Giant?!” He squawked. “Those things are real?”
“In some areas.” Oblivion lied smoothly.
“Well, Ah’ll be. If’n ya could get rid of that there critter Ah’d appreciate it.”
“That’s the plan,” Soarin said to him as he led them deeper into the orchard.
The others nodded as the pony looked back at them. “Well, Ah hope ya get rid of it. How do ya think ta make it move on?”
“I plan on killing it,” Oblivion replied. “Unless you want it to come back. It’s more than clever enough to find your orchard and you once again.”
“Oh, so ya can’t make it move on? Maybe to the Everfree?” The farmer asked.
“No. Once they find a good source of food they stay there to come back to it.” Oblivion informed the stallion. “They're smart enough to remember from what I have been told.”
“Ya never fought one afore?”
“No. But a fellow Witcher has and he told me how to fight it.”
“Witcher?”
“Monster hunter,” Oblivion said to him, quick to ensure that he knew that what he was.
“Well, that’s convenient.” He commented and pointed ahead of them. “Last time Ah saw it was back there. Ah’m not going that afar in. This is yer job ah assume?”
“It is,” Oblivion affirmed.
“Then ya can wade in there fer it.” He said as he pointed to the far edge of the orchard.
“We’ll take it from here,” Soarin said and patted the pony on the shoulder as Oblivion began to lead them forward.
“Be careful ya hear? That thing is huge.” The farmer shouted after them.
“What's the plan if there are no Sirens?” Soarin asked him.
“We will see what we need to do when we find it. From what I know we don’t have to worry about heightened hearing or senses. Their hearing is no better than your own. So keep your ears open.” Oblivion said to the group as they listened in and clustered around his hips.
“Great,” Cross muttered.
“Don’t worry we’ll be fine Cross,” Soarin said to him and patted his shoulder. “We have a monster hunter whose job it is to hunt these things down for fun. So no worries.”
Cross looked less than convinced but gave the Wonderbolt a small smile. “I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about getting out of here in one piece.”
Soarin smiled. “Don’t worry. If we want to we can hit the air and evade it.”
Cross looked up at the Witcher and his eyes fell on Sasa who looked back over her shoulder and a toothy grin was given as she looked at them. “Is flying a good idea?”
“Actually for this one, it might be.” Oblivion agreed. “So if you get overwhelmed getting into the air if you can is not a bad idea. From what I know Giants are not prone to throwing items but I do not know exactly. Geralt was in a cave with one when he took one down in a fight so I am not sure if they are prone to throwing things out in the open.”
“So it could be good or it could be bad?” Silver asked.
Oblivion simply looked over his shoulder and glanced at each of them before he focused in front of him once more. He was not sure how they acted since Witchers very rarely come in contact with giants of any kind. He was sure there were more kinds than just the Ice Giant variety. But he had never seen or heard of them outside of what Geralt had told him or rumors. But now that he had the opportunity to cross his sword against one he felt a bit of apprehension at it but at the same time, that feeling was heavily muted. He glanced back at the guards and he could see how nervous the group was Sasa purred loudly to try to assure them that they were safe with the Witcher.
“It will be fine.” He said to them. “Giants are typically fairly slow. You’re smaller than it is so you will be faster on your hooves than it will be on two legs. Keep your hooves under you and you will be fine.”
“Says the Witcher with clawed hooves.” Sasa teased. “You’ll get moving a lot faster than they will with the use of those claws.”
He looked down at her. “Details.” He said to her and she chuckled in reply.